All the World's a Stage
by Seitora
Summary: TFF Iron Fic One-Shot. In life, Light decided to achieve his New World by killing off criminals. What if he chose to achieve this through instead destroying dictatorships one by one with the Death Note?


**This was entered for the Iron Fic contest on The Fanfiction Forum, with the goal of writing a fic within 4 hours for a specific theme.**

**Iron Fic 5-2: "Riotous Uprising. The government having failed to address the grievances of the citizenry, people take to the streets in protest. At first it is peaceful, slogans are called out and signs are painted, parents bring their children to watch or to march. Then something changes-a rock is thrown, or a dispute breaks out, or a nervous policeman lashes out. With a single scream that turns into a shout of rage when echoed a hundredfold, rioting breaks out."**

**A registration link for The Fanfiction Forum is in my profile for those of you who are interested.**

* * *

"Another minister of the Kuleckistan government has defected today, more at six-"

"The city of North Tadaya was shelled today by Kuleck government forces-"

"Kuleck rebels have released a statement saying they have established control over the eastern province-"

"The Red Cross has pulled out of some areas of Kuleckistan following the deaths of over a dozen of their workers-"

"The United Nations Security Council is debating a possible no-fly zone over Kuleckistan-

He listened to the multiple TV channels in the background, but paid them little heed. With the 24-hour media these days, they breathlessly reported every tidbit of news that came in, often times getting the facts on the ground incorrect. Instead, he turned to the internet for some more in-depth coverage of the civil war taking place in the nation of Kuleckistan.

"Who should it be today, Ryuk?" He asked the spectral phantom hovering above his shoulder. "Perhaps the deputy defense minister, or a member of the Kuleck Supreme Court? Or maybe a well-placed rebel? The new documents I released earlier should be enough to sustain the news cycle for at least a few more days."

Ryuk, the lifeless companion he had gained along with his wondrous tool, answered , "Hyuk hyuk hyuk...how about a foreign diplomat?"

The brown-haired teenager sat at his desk, strumming his lips as he thought the Shinigami's response over. Sitting up, his fingers flew over his keyboard as he typed in several names, pulling up corresponding pictures of faces to match the identities. "Not a diplomat, Ryuk, but somebody 'foreign' nevertheless."

"Hmm?" Ryuk glanced at the computer screen, Shinigami eyes poring over the information blurbs Light had written on the numerous possible targets he had in mind. Monstrous eyes widened ever so slightly before he cackled again in glee at how interesting this was going to get again. "Hyuk hyuk hyuk...humans are so, so amusing."

* * *

"A border spat has broken out between the nations of Kuleckistan and Wahirkistan today, as the Wahirkian government has accused the Kuleck government of sending soldiers across the border today. The city of Philippo in Wahirkistan was attacked by over a dozen men in unmarked uniform today, killing one of the city's councillors in the process at the city hall. The Kulecks have accused the rebels of the attack, claiming the rebels wish to draw in the Wahirkian military. Foreign policy experts fear the civil war may eventually lead to a broader regional war."

* * *

"The Kuleck Foreign Minister declared his defection today at the United Nations building in New York, setting off an outroar as he declared the Kuleck government an illegitimate regime that was butchering its own population. U.S. military special forces were seen to have escorted the former Minister from the building, and the Department of Justice later announced the arrest of a half-dozen expats in the country believed to have been sleeper agents for the Kuleck government. About the same time, more military documents were leaked by the online site KiraLeaks. Although our experts still have not been able to verify the validity of the documents, KiraLeaks has not yet released any debunked reports. According to one of our sources, the new information worries the U.S. State Department, as it is stated the Kuleck regime is considering the use of nerve agents against the rebels."

* * *

"Reports are coming in of a massacre at a small village in the north province of Kuleckistan. As Kuleckistan has expelled all foreign journalists from the country, we cannot confirm the information, but online postings from inside the country have included pictures of hundreds of bodies. Because the north province was where the rebellion originated from, it is speculated that the Kuleck military was responsible for the attack."

"Ho-ho, Light," Ryuk was laughing again, "This wasn't something you wrote down in the Death Note, was it?"

Light was sitting at his desk again, elbow pressed down on the wooden surface, hand holding his head up as he watched the TV. "Of course not, Ryuk," He stated. "There's no way I could have gathered the name and face of all three hundred villagers. I'm good, but not that good. Demographic information-keeping in that part of the world is shoddy."

"I know that!" Ryuk said, bouncing around as he took a deep bite out of the ripe apple in his hand. "But it certainly wasn't something you expected to happen, was it?!"

"Not this incident in particular," Light agree idly, his tone almost bored. Ryuk could tell otherwise, though. Underneath that tone there was a hint of the Yagami teenage wonder feeling troubled, even guilty. "But in general, I did. Think of this conflict like a play, Ryuk, with thousands of actors. I can only control somebody with the Death Note, and only once per person. Anybody who isn't being controlled can spontaneously decide to plan and attack somebody else or some place, including ordering the total massacre of a rebel-friendly village. All the world's a stage, but once the play begins, you can only direct a small part of it."

"Like with that suicide bomber, hyuk hyuk hyuk. After that, a few reprisals against select prisoners and leaking of the news, and bam! Civil war. I wish I had thought of that. None of the other Shinigami did, all they wanted to play were card games up in the Shinigami realm."

Suddenly, Ryuk's visage lit up with a creepy grin. "Hey, Light! You should take me to a play some day. I haven't been to one of those since the turn of the sixteenth century shortly before some more plagues in Europe. What was that guy's name again? Bakesbeer or something? Sounds yummy."

"You were at one of Shakespeare's play?" Light suddenly sat up straight in surprise, before he reclined back in his chair. "No, never mind that. If I let you start, I won't be getting to bed before I have to go to school tomorrow."

"Wha-?! But Liiiiight-" Ryuk attempted to whine, but was ignored as Light turned back to his computer screen.

* * *

"The Kuleck President and Defense Minister were both captured by rebel forces this morning in the capital, along with their bodyguards," The anchorman reported, as stills of the capital city of Kuleckistan from the air were shown in the background. "The largest rebel militia, the April 8th Brigade, has established order over the city, enforcing a strict curfew. An April 8th spokesman has stated that his group plans to invite the United Nations in to assist with the founding of a transitional government, with the hopes of a new constitution being written in the next few years. In the meantime, the International Court of Justice has requested the Brigade to turn over the President and Defense Minister. In turn, the April 8th Brigade has stated they will allow the ICJ to oversee their trials if they can be held in an embassy or other specially-designated building in Kuleckistan."

The TV shut off, as Light turned his chair around, looking out at the Tokyo night sky.

"50 years ago, there were only about two dozen nations that could reliably be called 'democratic," Light explained to Ryuk, hovering close by. "Even today, when more and more countries have become democratic, there are still regions that are completely controlled by autocrats. Waiting for those countries to overcome their dictators would be like waiting for Godot."

"Who?" Ryuk quizzed.

"Upon receiving the Death Note, I was inspired for some time to create a New World, Ryuk," Light continued, ignoring the earlier question by the Shinigami. "At first, I wanted to go about it by killing off criminals, and indeed that was what I did for a short period of time before you showed up."

"Yeah, I kinda figured," Ryuk responded in turn. "I mean, you figured out loopholes to the Death Note even I hadn't thought of!"

"Yeah..." Light thought to himself, closing the blinds to his window and then opening his drawer, pulling out a single sheet of paper from underneath multiple other documents. Unfolding it, he looked it over. The names of both the now ex-president and ex-defense minister of Kuleckistan were written on the sheet. They had been the last thing to have been written down, a consequence of a trick he had figured out where he could write the condition of death first and then the name or names.

"Send all the secret documents they have to your private email address, then get captured by Kuleck rebel forces, held in prison, made to testify before the International Court of Justice, found guilty on crimes against humanity, eventually die of...what is this, Light?" Ryuk demanded at the last part.

"It's a type of prion-based disease," Light explained. "There are many different types, but some of them take extremely long to kill. The Death Note can only kill people up to 23 days after their names are written down, but if they are meant to die of disease, the Death Note gives them the disease through whatever mechanism possible within the 23 days, and then they die in a timespan natural to that disease." He shuddered, "I would hate it if some madman got a Death Note and thought to write 'Dies of smallpox'. There are still frozen samples of the thing in a few labs worldwide."

"Hyuk hyuk hyuk," Ryuk cackled again as he thought over what Light had just said. "If it takes even five years to kill them, that should be long enough for their trials, right?"

"Even for the ICJ's glacial progress, it should be," Light agreed.

"And in the meantime, you'll continue dissecting all those files you receive on that website of yours?"

"More than that," Light said, collapsing into his bed, sheet still in his hand. "Kuleckistan is only one country, of fifteen million people. Another three billion still live under dictatorships of varying degree. Hmm," He sat back up on his bed, tearing apart the paper in his hand. "Do you know, Ryuk, of a man named George Kennan?" At the shaking motion of the Shinigami's head, Light continued, "I didn't think so. I'm sure you'll learn lots more, Ryuk, since you'll be down here for a long time I imagine."

"Hey!" Ryuk protested. "Well, yeah, I guess. Anything is better than going back to the Shinigami realm again for a long time."

"Anyways," Light moved on, "George Kennan put forward a political theory around the middle of the last century. He stated that if one country changed forms of government, other countries around it would also change their forms of government to closely match the first country. I don't think his idea had much merit to it, but..." He trailed off for a few seconds, thinking, before moving on, "If the dictatorship of Kulekistan fell to a people's rebellion, then that will be an inspiration to the rough-trodden, repressed populations of the surrounding countries."

"Hyuk hyuk hyuk, I like the way you think, Light," The Shinigami said, grabbing another apple from the basket on Light's desk. Taking a small bite and then sucking the freed juices into his mouth, he asked, "But what happens when all your countries are democracies and such?"

"Then?" Light asked, sighing, sitting back down on his bed, as he laid his head against the pillow, looking at the ceiling. Tens of thousands of people had died to liberate Kuleckistan, and it was dark days still. The democracy and freedoms that went with it hadn't yet been established, and an errant assassin or recalcitrant neighbor could nudge Kuleckistan off its path, requiring yet more bloodshed to put it steadily back onto the march to freedom. "Well, I guess to put it in opera parlance..."

"Then the fat lady sings."

* * *

In another part of the world, on a small island off the coast of western Europe, a single dark-haired man sat in an unlit room, tapping away at a keyboard as his eyes skimmed through a vast quantity of data.

"Who are you really, KiraLeaks...?" The man asked himself softly, attempting to decipher all the information gathered by the students of the orphanage his foster father had founded in an attempt to train like-minded detectives that would attempt to be his successor. "And why do so many regime soldiers seem to send you information, as opposed to international news conglomerates?..."

* * *

**This idea has been kicked around in the fandom from time to time, but as you can tell a lot of this is inspired by the events of the Arab Spring, with some points here and there in the storyline drawn very starkly from similar events from the Arab Spring. For example, a lot of Libyans wanted the ICJ to come to Libya to try Gaddafi if they had captured him alive.**

**The little bit at the end with L is just a teaser, not meant to be a real sequel hook.**


End file.
